Just Pretending
by Sarah Dawson
Summary: Lorelai and Luke begin dating after Lorelai comes up with a plan to trick Emily, but it develops into something more, and neither want to let go. L/L
1. Lorelai's 'Escort'

Just Pretending... Right?  
by Sarah Dawson  
  
Chapter One: Lorelai's 'Escort'  
  
Spoilers: None, unless of course they're hiding, in which case, I can't find them.  
Pairing: L/L  
Disclaimers: After everyone telling you WB and Amy Sherman-Palladino and all them own Gilmore Girls, you except me to claim I do? Yeah, right.  
  
A/N: Just to catch you up, this takes place in some make-believe season where Luke, Lorelai and Rory aren't dating anyone and well, since they're practically the only people in the story, that's all you need to know. Yeah, and the whole story's just undergone a huge change, so if you're a bit confused as to why everything's different... there ya go. ~sarah  
  
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Rory and Lorelai arrived at Luke's right before the morning rush and sat down at their normal table.  
  
"Luuuuke! I need coffee, and then more coffee!" Lorelai groaned.  
  
Luke sighed and walked over to them, pad and pen in hand. "Why should I give you coffee?"  
  
"Pleeeeeaaase???" Lorelai pouted.  
  
"Hangover." Rory noted.  
  
Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Blind date."  
  
Luke paused, then gave in. "Just this once." he grumbled, pouring her a mug.  
  
"My angel!" She grabbed the mug he had given her and drained it quickly. "Keep it comin'!" Lorelai ordered, holding out her empty cup. Luke grunted in response and poured her more.  
  
"Why me?" he grumbled, frowning at her.  
  
"Face it, you're as addicted to serving us coffee as Mom is to drinking it." Rory announced as she and Luke stared at Lorelai, who had grabbed the pot of coffee and poured herself more coffee.  
  
"Never." Luke answered.  
  
Lorelai looked up from her coffee frenzy. "What??"  
  
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"So Lorelai, how's your social life going?" Emily Gilmore asked Lorelai that night at dinner.  
  
Lorelai nearly spit out her wine. "Since when is that important to you?" she asked suspiciously.  
  
"Well, there's this event at the club-" Emily began.  
  
"No! There is no way I am letting you force me into going to one of those things where all the ladies hover over you saying 'oh dear, you would've turned out so well if only you hadn't gotten knocked up at sixteen!' over and over again!" Lorelai protested a bit angrily.  
  
"But dear-"  
  
"No! No-no-no!"  
  
"Oh c'mon Mom, you know you want to." Rory chimed in.  
  
Emily sighed. "Look, it would mean a great deal to your father and I if you would come, and if you don't I will give every single Chilton mother your phone number!" she threatened. Lorelai & Rory gasped.  
  
"Mom, please!" Rory said in horror.  
  
"Mom!!! That is totally unfair! You've gotta be kidding!" Lorelai complained.  
  
"It would be nice for you to be there, Lorelai." Richard added, looking up from his paper.  
  
"It's next Friday, down at the club. It's a family charity event. You would only have to come to dinner for a few hours, and you wouldn't have to come here that Friday, either.  
  
Lorelai perked up. "No Friday night dinner?"  
  
"Really?" Rory asked brightly.  
  
Emily rolled her eyes. "Well, you can't be in two places at once. And I will expect to be at the club."  
  
"Oh, this'll be almost as fun as the time you took us to the lawn party, Mom!" Lorelai replied sarcasticly.  
  
"Oh, and you must bring an escort," Emily added, sipping her tea.  
  
"Erm, excuse me?" Lorelai asked, confused.  
  
"I believe you would refer to it as a 'date'?"  
  
"What?! But I don't have anyone to bring!"  
  
"Of course you do. Bring that man in the flannel, I've always wanted to formally meet him. And he seems to follow you everywhere anyways." Emily corrected her calmly.  
  
Lorelai looked confused. "You mean Luke?? You want me to bring Luke??"  
  
"Well, you two are an item, are you not?"  
  
"Mom, is there something you'd like to share?" Rory questioned with a grin.  
  
"Mom! Would you grow up! As I have told you many times, Luke and I are just friends! Th-that's all we'll ever be!"  
  
"Just wait, you're going to regret saying that. Although when he comes, could you please make sure he wears something appropriate? I mean, not plaid and without a hat?" Emily continued, taking a bite of her food.  
  
"Mom!" Lorelai cried.  
  
"I'll see to it, Grandma." Rory told Emily with a small smile.  
  
"Thank you, dear."  
  
"My only child has abandoned me!" Lorelai whined.  
  
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Lorelai walked into the diner nervously and took a seat at the counter, looking around for Luke.  
  
"Hi Lukey!" Lorelai smiled sweetly at Luke, who approached from the other end of the counter.  
  
Luke grimaced. "What do you want?" he asked warily.  
  
"Oh, nothing really." Lorelai said in a sugary tone.  
  
He frowned. "Nothing really or nothing?"  
  
Lorelai sighed. "Fine. I was going to ask after I got my coffee, but whatever. So last night was dinner at the loony bin, and my mom got this crazy idea that I had to go to a club thing with her and dad."  
  
"Tell me what you want, or no coffee!" Luke ordered sternly.  
  
"Okay, okay, fine! My mother has this crazy idea that you and I would make a good couple, so she threatened me and said that if I didn't bring you to this family dinner thing then bad things would happen to me and my daughter! And if I don't bring you, then I'll never ever hear the end of it and I had this idea that maybe if you and I pretended we were dating when we went and then we could pretend to break up while we were there, then she wouldn't like you as much and she'd stop nagging me about it so much!" She took a deep breath. Luke just stared at her. "Saying something would make me feel a bit less awkward now."  
  
"You're serious?" he grunted.  
  
"Please????" Lorelai pouted.  
  
"Wouldn't that be extremely weird for both of us?"  
  
Lorelai looked uncomfortable. "Not any weirder than my mother asking me about you every five minutes."  
  
Luke paused. "Oh. Oh, right." he said.  
  
There was an awkward silence. "Cause I mean, that's always, um, strange, ya know? Since, there's not really anything going on, so it's just really really weird that my mom is like, obsessed, with the idea that there might be, and I'm just kind of sick of all of her 'Where's the iceman?'s and 'Why haven't I met that burger man yet?'s, and I'm not saying I don't enjoy talking about you, I mean you know how much I like to talk, it's just-"  
  
Luke cut off her rambling with a sigh. "Fine." he answered, rolling his eyes.  
  
Lorelai stopped, surprised. "Fine?"  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Okay?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Alright."  
  
"Alright." Luke nodded goodbye as Lorelai stood up to go.   
  
"Then um... I'll see you tomorrow night?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Okay, come pick me up around six... try to wear something non-flannel?" Lorelai questioned with a pained smile.  
  
"We'll see." he answered with a sigh.  
  
Lorelai gave a small wave and walked out the door, a shocked look on her face when she turned around.  
  
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Lorelai walked into the kitchen of the Gilmore house, carrying takeout pizza. "Child of mine, get in here! I've got pizza!" she yelled towards Rory's room.  
  
Rory appeared from the bedroom and grinned at her mom. "Yay! Pizza!" She tried to grab a slice, but Lorelai slapped her hand away.  
  
"Wait! First we talk, then we eat." she declared.  
  
Rory eyed the pizza box hungrily. "What's up?"  
  
"Remember how Mom wanted me to bring Luke to dinner. Well, I kind of asked him to." she replied uncertainly.  
  
"I wish I could've been there. How many ways did he find to say 'No way!'?" Rory said with a laugh.  
  
Lorelai paused. "Actually, he said yes."  
  
"You're kidding!" Rory cried.  
  
"No! And he even might not wear flannel!" Lorelai answered in amazement.  
  
"No!"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"God, he loves you a lot." Rory muttered in surprise.  
  
Lorelai eyed her suspiciously. "What did you say?"  
  
Rory looks panicked and quickly tries to cover it up. "Uh- nothing, nothing, I said, um, 'he loves food a lot' you know, cause he's going to dinner with you. Yeah, that was it, uh huh!" she lied frantically.  
  
"You did not!! You did not! You said 'He loves you a lot'! Now why the hell would you say something like that??" Lorelai cried, also freaking out.  
  
"I didn't! I didn't! You must've been mistaking me for Schmory, my evil, lying twin sister!" Rory stuttered.  
  
"No! It was you, you said that! Why would you say that?? No pizza if you lie!" Lorelai ordered, grabbing the pizza box away from her daughter.  
  
Rory looks cornered. "The reason I said that... It might've been because, um, maybe Luke has a teeny, tiny crush on you?" she squeaked.  
  
Her mom gaped at her. "What?? Luke and I are just friends," she corrected her, exasperated. "God, you're turning into my mother! Besides, if Luke had ever had a "crush" on me, he would have told me!"  
  
"Why would he tell you?? So he could get his heart broken all over again?? Nuh uh, no way." Rory declared, trying unsuccessfully to get the pizza back from her mom.  
  
"How do you know this?? Why didn't you tell me?? Did Luke tell you?!" Lorelai demanded, keeping the pizza out of reach.  
  
Rory paused. "No, he didn't tell me, but-"  
  
Lorelai cut her off. "See? You have no proof! End of discussion, no more talking about this!" she announced, throwing the food back on the table with a frown. "It's not true..." she mumbled to herself.  
  
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TBC... Not to blackmail you or anything, but... Reviews are totally the best way to inspire me! Hehe, I really do love feedback, just so ya know. Review, or you could email me @ Raspberries424@aol.com! 


	2. Coffee and Fat Free Ham

Just Pretending... Right?  
by Sarah Dawson  
  
Chapter Two: Coffee and Fat-free Ham  
  
Spoilers: Nada, at least I'm pretty sure.  
Pairing: L/L  
Disclaimers: I own nothing but a pair of extremely cute socks shaped like little cows and a few dust bunnies from underneath my bed!  
  
A/N: Okay, just a note; I usually hate it when authors just put the same author's note in each chapter, but technically it doesn't matter because really I've already posted this chapter and I'm just editing. So ha! And this is useful information!   
  
Just to catch you up, this takes place in some make-believe season where Luke, Lorelai and Rory aren't dating anyone and well, since they're practically the only people in the story, that's all you need to know. Yeah, and the whole story's just undergone a huge change, so if you're a bit confused as to why everything's different... there ya go. ~sarah  
  
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For some reason she couldn't quite put her finger on, Lorelai was slightly nervous as she walked to the diner Friday morning. She paused outside the door and Rory turned to her expectantly.   
  
"Um, Mom, to get to the coffee, we have to actually go inside...?" Rory commented, suppressing a yawn.   
  
Lorelai stared at the door. "I guess so." She made no move to go inside, and the two stood there for a few minutes in silence.  
  
"Mom, why can we not-" Rory stopped as a light dawned in her eyes. "Ohhh! I understand now." she smirked. "You're nervous it'll be awkward 'cause of your date!"  
  
"It's not a date!" Lorelai replied a bit too quickly.  
  
"Oh, how could I forget? It's you two 'pretending' to go on a date." Rory answered innocently.   
  
"What do you think we'll have to actually... do?" Lorelai glanced at her nervously.  
  
"You want it to be convincing, right? Just act normal. You know, the flirting, the looks-"  
  
"Arrgh! I need to get you away from this crazy town, it's twisting your mind!" Lorelai cried, finally entering the diner.  
  
"Whatever you say." Rory replied, amused, as the two sat down at the table by the window.  
  
"Say about what?" Luke asked as he came over to take their orders.  
  
"Nothing!" Lorelai answered before Rory could respond. "Except that my daughter is slowly turning into Miss Patty!" She added, shooting her a look.  
  
"Right..." Luke shifted uncomfortably, clearly feeling as awkward as Lorelai was. "So, in what form would you like your suicide to be served in today?"  
  
"Hmm... I'll have the whole wheat pancakes with a glass of tomato juice, please!" Lorelai proclaimed.  
  
"Nice try, Lorelai." Luke rolled his eyes.  
  
"Ooh, Luke rhymed!" Rory announced in excitement.  
  
"Ha! Next thing we'll have him writing books about green eggs and ham!" Lorelai added.  
  
"Fat-free, of course."  
  
"I can see it now! I am Luke, Luke-I-am-"  
  
"I do not like coffee and ...ham?" Rory frowned, stuck.  
  
Luke rolled his eyes, and tucked his order pad back into his pants. "I do have real customers you know, so if you two don't want anything-"  
  
"No!" Both Gilmores chorused.  
  
"We'll be good, I promise!" Lorelai pouted.  
  
"Hurry up and order, then!" Luke said gruffly.  
  
"Coffee, please!"  
  
"And chocolate chip pancakes!" Rory added.  
  
"Alright." Luke grunted, walking away.  
  
"So when are you planning on talking about it?" Rory asked with a grin.  
  
"Er, excuse me? What is there to talk about?" Lorelai answered nervously.  
  
"Like, when should he pick you up? How are you going to break up? What are you going to do to make people think you're a couple? And-" Rory rambled on, excited.  
  
"Whoa! Back up a minute! What do you mean??" Lorelai exclaimed.  
  
Rory sighed. "Just start by asking him when he's picking you up tonight, then we'll worry about what you're going to wear." She explained.  
  
"Oh no! What am I supposed to wear?" Lorelai cried.  
  
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"So, Luke. Tonight's the night." Lorelai winced inwardly at her attempt to sound casual.  
  
Luke looked up from pouring a mug of coffee for someone down the counter. "Oh, right." he replied uneasily. "What time should I, um, pick you up?"  
  
Lorelai looked relieved that he had brought it up first. "Seven-ish? Keep in mind I'm always fashionably late."  
  
There was an awkward silence. "So..." They both began at once. Lorelai grinned. "You first."  
  
"I didn't really have anything to say..." Luke trailed off uncertainly.  
  
"Well, I was just wondering, um, how we were exactly going to do this?…" she explained, resting her elbows on the counter.  
  
Luke raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" he asked suspiciously.  
  
"First off, we need to get a few things straight. For instance, how long we've been dating, our anniversary, how we got together, things like that. Then how exactly we should act in front of everybody, because they're very…eccentric, and I promise my mother will be watching us like a hawk, and my father will probably grill you extensively for like, an hour, and then-" she rambled on and on, stopping when she saw the look on his face. "Hmm... complicated, huh? You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into..."  
  
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TBC... Feedback is not only wanted, but craved. Feel free to email, Raspberries424@aol.com! And honestly, flames are good too-- they're fun to mock :) No, really, constructive criticism is good. 


	3. Fun With Emily and Richard

Just Pretending... Right?  
by Sarah Dawson  
  
Chapter Three: Fun With Emily and Richard  
  
Spoilers: Maybe, like, season one and the first episode of season three. But that's all.  
Pairing: L/L  
Disclaimers: Yes, I own everything to do with Gilmore Girls. Right now the entire cast is upstairs cleaning my room. Oh, I wish. My writer's block is way too bad to have created an entire TV show. I own nothing but the computer on which this was typed, and even that's actually my parents'.  
  
A/N: Okay, just a note; I usually hate it when authors just put the same author's note in each chapter, but technically it doesn't matter because really I've already posted this chapter and I'm just editing. So ha! And this is useful information!   
  
Just to catch you up, this takes place in some make-believe season where Luke, Lorelai and Rory aren't dating anyone and well, since they're practically the only people in the story, that's all you need to know. Yeah, and the whole story's just undergone a huge change, so if you're a bit confused as to why everything's different... there ya go. ~sarah  
  
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"Rory, help!!" Lorelai yelled from her bedroom. She was standing in the middle of just about her entire wardrobe, which was thrown all over the floor.  
  
Rory poked her head into her mother's room, then entered cautiously. "Geez, what happened in here?"  
  
"Dearest darling daughter, you've got to help me!" she begged. "I have, like, no time before Luke gets here because he's late, and I still can't make up my mind about what to wear!"  
  
"Ooh, want to look nice for the first date? I totally understand, Mom." Rory replied with a wicked grin.  
  
"You need to stop hanging out with Jess so much, his meanness is starting to rub off on you." Lorelai muttered, disappearing into her closet once again.  
  
Rory sat down on the bed, looking around at all the clothing strewn everywhere. "Meanness?" she mused aloud.  
  
"Focus, Rory!" Lorelai demanded, emerging from the closet with another zillion outits. "What should I wear?? I mean, it's a country club thing- actually, it's says casual, but," she snorted. "Yeah, right. So anyways, I have to be conservative and all, but I still want to look..."  
  
"Sexy?" Rory supplied, starting to sift through the piles of clothes. Lorelai nodded. "Okay, I've got it." she announced. "Wear the long khaki skirt with the low-cut, long-sleeved, light blue button-up shirt, with the light suede jacket. Pin your hair back, put on eyeliner, a bit of mascara, and lightish red lipstick, and you're good to go. Oh, and take your- well, my- light tan purse." Rory instructed, gathering the aforementioned items. "Classy, yet still a bit sexy."  
  
Lorelai rushed to grab the outfit and stepped into the closet to change. "Thank God! Ooh, you're my favorite daughter!" she called happily.  
  
"How many other daughters have you got stashed away?"  
  
"Only a few, but I packed them off to boarding school once I found out you were the only one with my fashion sense." Lorelai stepped into the room and did a little twirl. "How do I look?"  
  
"Luke will love it!" Rory replied with a smirk. The doorbell rang, and she rushed to get it before Lorelai could respond.   
  
"Hey, that was not nice." Lorelai pouted, heading down the stairs.  
  
Rory opened the front door, revealing a baseball-cap-less, flannel-less Luke. He was dressed in the belt and pants that Lorelai had bought him, and a navy collared shirt, looking extremely awkward. "Hey Rory." Luke greeted her, shifting uncomfortably. "Is she ready yet?"  
  
"Hey Luke! Actually, pretty much. You must be very smart, coming ten minutes late. Especially considering she wouldn't have been ready if you had come on time." Rory smiled, then turned to yell up the stairs. "Mom! Your date's here!!" Luke reddened slightly.  
  
Lorelai hopped down the stairs, pulling on her heels. "Hold onto your hats, I'm right here." she grumbled. "Oh, hi. You must be Luke's twin brother, the flannel-less, cap-less, version of Luke. Ooh!" she squealed. "You're wearing the clothes I bought you!" She clapped her hands, then turned to Rory. "Bye kiddo, don't wait up!" she said, kissing her cheek.  
  
"Have fun, you crazy kids." Rory grinned, closing the door behind them.  
  
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"So." Lorelai began, shifting towards Luke. "We gotta talk."  
  
"Why?" Luke asked suspiciously.  
  
"We never decided on anything yesterday- What if someone asks us how we met? Or how long we've been dating or something? We'd both end up telling them something different and then they'd figure us out!" Lorelai cried indignantly.  
  
"You watch too many movies."  
  
"Movies are based on real life!"  
  
"Fine. What did you have in mind?" Luke sighed, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Lorelai's eyes lit up. "Ooh, I get to make up the story! Okay, how about we'd been friends for years, and then I got a life-threatening disease, and right before I died, you confessed you'd been desparately, madly in love with me all along, so you kidnapped me from the hospital and took me to Africa where this tribal medicine doctor gave you this cure, except you didn't have any-" she rambled on, getting caught up in her story.  
  
"Oh yeah, that would work. Except your mom saw you a week ago, and you weren't exactly about to die!" Luke interrupted, rolling his eyes.  
  
Lorelai pouted. "Fine, you got anything better?" she challenged.  
  
There was a small pause. "Just tell 'em that after so many years of being friends, and everyone telling us we should be together, we just decided to go for it, and we've been dating ever since." Luke replied gruffly.  
  
Lorelai paused and stared at him for a moment. She'd never heard Luke talk that much before now, and not with actual meaning. Not without him ranting about red meat, or coffee, or Jess or something, actually. And he was he avoiding her gaze? No, that was silly, he was driving! She pushed the thought away and turned around to face the front. "Sounds like a plan."  
  
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Lorelai and Luke were still standing outside the entrance to the country club. Lorelai didn't seem like she wanted to go inside, and he was just following her lead. Maybe this meant they weren't going to have to do this after all-  
  
"It's not too late to back out, you know." Lorelai's voice broke into Luke's thoughts. "I mean, of course my mother would be furious, and they're would've been no point in driving all the way out here to Hartford just so we could turn around now, and I would really like to get this over with, but-"  
  
"Lorelai! Oh Lorelai! Over here!" A woman called out from behind the two, cutting off Lorelai's babbling. Lorelai groaned softly and plastered on a fake smile before turning around to face her.  
  
"Mindy! Hi!" Lorelai replied in a sugary tone.  
  
"Fancy seeing you here! We've all missed you so much." Mindy and her date walked up to Lorelai and Luke. "You haven't been to the club in ages!"  
  
"Oh, well you know, I was busy." Lorelai answered, suppressing a grimace.  
  
"I can tell!" the woman answered slyly, winking in Luke's direction.   
  
He and Lorelai blushed furiously. "Um, can we go in, please?" Luke whispered to her, obviously uncomfortable.  
  
Lorelai nodded gratefully and grabbed his arm. "Well, it was nice seeing you again Mindy, enjoy the party!" she exclaimed, pulling Luke into the club away from a bewildered Mindy and her guy.  
  
They were faced with what looked like an overwhelming amount of people who resembled Emily and Richard Gilmore, in the sense that they were stuffy and boring. Lorelai groaned. "God, deja vu." she muttered, clutching Luke's arm like a lifeline. "Maybe we can get away before my-" she was interrupted by the arrival of Emily swooping down on them like a vulture. "...parents get here." she sighed. "Hi Mom."  
  
"Lorelai." Emily sniffed, her eyes taking in her daughter's appearance. "You're late."  
  
"Traffic." Luke supplied, trying to avoid a disagreement.  
  
Emily swiftly turned her attention to Luke. "You must be Luke. At least you aren't wearing anything you would wear in that diner of yours." She paused. "Are you?"   
  
"Mom! That was extremely rude! Luke is my-" She caught herself and gave a small frown. "Erm, date...?"   
  
"I knew it. I don't see why you wouldn't just tell me you were seeing the ice man. There's really no point in lying to me." Emily announced. "Now, come with me, we're about to start eating." She walked off, expecting them to follow her.  
  
"Ugh." Lorelai moaned, closing her eyes briefly. "I'm so sorry about that. I didn't expect her to- well I did, but not like that..." she apologized.  
  
"It's okay." Luke assured her. "Let's just go and get this over with."  
  
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"So Luke, you're in the food business?" Richard prompted him as they were eating their meals.  
  
Luke grimaced inwardly. He'd been waiting for the interrogation to start. "Actually, I own a diner." he replied.  
  
"Oh, you run a fast food chain?"  
  
"No, I... own a diner. And it's not exactly a fast food place, either." he corrected, shooting Lorelai a confused look.  
  
"Luke makes the best burger and coffee in town, Dad." Lorelai piped up, attempting to rescue him.  
  
"Do you make the food yourself?" Richard continued.  
  
"Well, yes. My nephew and cook also help out sometimes." Luke answered uneasily.  
  
Richard quickly switched gears. "How long have you been dating my daughter?" he questioned suddenly.  
  
Lorelai choked on her champagne. "Dad! Not even a 'How you doing?' or a 'Have you ever robbed a bank before?' first??" she sputtered.  
  
"Have you ever robbed a bank?" Richard asked suspiciously.  
  
"No! Of course not!" Luke replied quickly, glaring at Lorelai.  
  
"How long have you been dating my daughter?" he repeated somewhat threateningly.  
  
"Uh... a month?" Luke paused as Lorelai nodded, relieved.  
  
"And are your intentions honorable?" Richard pressed.  
  
"Uh... yeah?" Luke stuttered, pleading with Lorelai with his eyes.  
  
"You know what, Dad? Let's let Luke rest for a minute, okay? You've got the whole night to ask him these very important questions, but right now, me and Luke are going to go dance, okay?" Lorelai stood up. Luke followed her lead and she led him onto the dance floor.  
  
Wrapping her arms around him awkwardly so they could dance, she sighed. "I am so sorry. My dad's way overprotective. You should've seen what he did to Dean." she muttered, resting her head on his chest.  
  
"That's... okay." Luke replied, having trouble concentrating with Lorelai so close. "I think it's kinda nice, actually."  
  
"Really?" she cocked her head at him, a small smile tugging at her lips.  
  
"Yeah." Luke answered quietly, continuing to dance.   
  
"Where'd you learn to dance, Luke? I'm shocked!" Lorelai commented, surprised with Luke's skill.  
  
Luke paused for a moment. "Rachel made me learn awhile ago." he replied, avoiding her eyes.  
  
"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to, um..." Lorelai trailed off.  
  
"No, it's fine." he said gruffly.  
  
"Um, Luke? If you don't mind me asking... Why did Rachel leave? I really she was trying to make it work this time..."  
  
Luke stopped dancing for a moment and looked away. He had almost forgotten why... No, there was no point lying to himself about it. He remembered it vividly, every time Lorelai walked into the diner. Not because Rachel had hurt him, but for an entirely different reason.  
  
"Luke?" Lorelai asked with concern.  
  
Oh. Lorelai. "She... she was just being Rachel. Fear of commitment, whatever." He sighed inwardly. God, he hated lying to her, but he didn't really think he was ready to tell her now. Or maybe never.  
  
Lorelai paused. "Oh. Never mind, sorry to bring it up." She dropped the subject as they resumed dancing. She knew he was lying to her. He wasn't very good at it. Besides, she'd known him too long for him to be able to hide something like that from her. She wondered briefly why he wouldn't just tell her, but didn't want to push it, especially when they were having such a good time. Not bickering, or anything. It actually kind of felt nice, dancing with Luke. She frowned slightly. Where did that come from? She recalled her dream from the previous summer with slight confusion. Married to Luke with twins on the way. Her mind worked in strange ways.  
  
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TBC... Happy reviews make happy authors and happy authors make happy stories!... Feedback can also be sent to Raspberries424@aol.com! 


	4. Surprise, Surprise

Just Pretending... Right?  
by Sarah Dawson  
  
Chapter Four: Surprise, Surprise  
  
Spoilers: Same as always, meaning not really.  
Pairing: L/L  
Disclaimers: Nope. Nada. Nothin'. None of it's mine, it belongs to Amy Sherman-Palladino and all of those... you know... other people...  
  
A/N: Okay, just a note; I usually hate it when authors just put the same author's note in each chapter, but technically it doesn't matter because really I've already posted this chapter and I'm just editing. So ha! And this is useful information!   
  
Just to catch you up, this takes place in some make-believe season where Luke, Lorelai and Rory aren't dating anyone and well, since they're practically the only people in the story, that's all you need to know. Yeah, and the whole story's just undergone a huge change, so if you're a bit confused as to why everything's different... there ya go. ~sarah  
  
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"Lorelai!" Emily called from a distance to her daughter, who was talking with Luke as they watched everyone dance.   
  
Lorelai grimaced and pretended not to hear. "So, Luke, how's the diner?" She asked, attempting to ignore her mother.  
  
"Lorelai, it's very rude not to answer when someone is calling your name. I know you heard me, young lady." Emily scolded as she approached their table.  
  
Luke shot a look at Lorelai as she tried not to roll her eyes. "Sorry, Mom." She sighed.  
  
"Mm-hmm. Well, I was going to say that Mindy and James were asking where you two had run off to." Emily sniffed.  
  
Lorelai almost groaned. "What did they want?" She asked, forcing a smile.  
  
"They were wondering if you wanted to go to some... club, or something... after this was over." The woman answered in a disapproving tone.  
  
"Oh, God." Lorelai's eyes widened. "Seriously?" She whined.  
  
"Yes, Lorelai, 'seriously'. And I took the liberty of informing them you would attend." Emily announced, glaring at the couple. "Now, I must go see where your father has disappeared to. Mindy and James are waiting for you by the bar."  
  
Lorelai sighed loudly after she left. "Oh God Luke, I'm so sorry she roped us into this, you don't have to go, I could just go alone, really-" she apologized profusely.  
  
Luke shook his head. "Nah, it's fine." he said, taking a sip of his drink.   
  
Lorelai looked surprised. "Are you sure? Because, really-"   
  
"It's fine." he cut her off.  
  
She looked surprised. "Well, okay. See if that's still what you say in thirty minutes."  
  
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"So, where are we going?" Lorelai asked Mindy, trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice.  
  
"Oh, it's the cutest little club downtown!" The woman gushed. "You'll love it!"  
  
Luke and Lorelai both held back a grimace. "Alright then. Right behind ya!" Lorelai replied with fake enthusiasm.  
  
The couple turned to go back to the Jeep when Mindy grabbed Luke's arm. "No, no, no, you have to go with James! Lorelai and I have gotta go girl-chat!" she giggled. Luke shot Lorelai a desperate look, but she simply shrugged. Mindy and James shared a quick kiss and then turned expectantly to Luke and Lorelai, who exchanged a weird look.  
  
Lorelai looked towards him uncertainly and quickly pressed her lips to his. Both were surprised, but neither pulled away. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he kissed her back hungrily. A few moments later, Mindy cleared her throat impatiently. Lorelai and Luke lept apart guiltily, faces flushed.  
  
"Uhh..." Luke began, shoving his hands in his pockets. Lorelai looked down at the ground, blushing. Mindy giggled and pulled her towards the Jeep, leaving a very embarrassed Luke and James standing by the car.  
  
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When they arrived at the club, Lorelai practically attached herself to Mindy, and Luke lagged behind all three, both avoiding the other's eyes.  
  
"Come on, James, let's dance!" Mindy giggled, grabbing her boyfriend and dragging him onto the dance floor.   
  
Luke and Lorelai slowly walked over to an empty table in an awkward silence. "So." Lorelai said tentatively.  
  
"So?" Luke repeated with a small sigh.  
  
"Umm... I was thinking." Lorelai began shyly.  
  
"Gee, that's a new one." Luke drawled sarcasticly.  
  
Lorelai glared at him. "Seriously. Well, I was just thinking that, you know how we're supposed to uh, 'break up' tonight?"  
  
Luke nodded suspiciously. "What, you wanna throw things at me or something?"  
  
"Although that would be cool... No. Um, since Mindy and James are... having such a good time." She eyed the couple warily, who was dancing--horribly--away.   
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Maybe we could... postpone the break up? Because we wouldn't want to ruin their night or anything." Lorelai asked quickly.  
  
"Right."  
  
"Right. Because, if I was upset, then that would make my... good friend Mindy... upset too. And we wouldn't want that." She added hopefully.  
  
Luke paused. "For their sake."  
  
"For their sake."  
  
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(A/N: In case no one gets it, I fast-forwarded to the next morning here. And let's pretend Lorelai had gotten home too late to talk about the date with Rory yet, k? K. Buh-bye now.)  
  
"Rory! Rory, babe, you gotta get up now!!" Lorelai whispered loudly as she crawled into her daughter's bed.  
  
"Mom??" Rory groaned, rubbing her eyes. "Who died?" she muttered with mild concern.  
  
"Huh?" Lorelai asked, bouncing slightly.  
  
"Mom, it is six o'clock in the morning on a Saturday. I figured nothing short of a death would get you up at this time." Rory mumbled, pressing the pillow against her face.  
  
Lorelai pretended to be offended. "What? I'll have you know that I get up at six every Saturday and go for my daily jog around town!"  
  
Rory couldn't help but burst out laughing. "That's the funniest thing I have heard since Mariah Carey decided to become an actress!" she giggled.  
  
Her mother pouted. "Fine. Hey, now you made me forget what I woke you up for!"  
  
"Oh God no..." Rory moaned, rolling over on the bed.  
  
Lorelai flashed her a smile and shook her shoulder. "Just kidding! We have to go over my night because you didn't wait up for me!" she accused.  
  
Rory opened an eye warily. "Wasn't last night your date with Luke?" she asked wryly.  
  
"It was NOT a date! Hmm, but about that..." Lorelai trailed off.  
  
Her daughter popped up from under the covers. "Ooh, spill!"  
  
"Okay, so last night this horrible woman that my mother used to make me be friends with named Mindy tricked me and Luke into going to this nightclub with her after dinner. And then she made me ride with her and Luke had to go with James, and so of course they kissed and then she expected me and Luke to do it too, so-"   
  
"Whoa! You kissed Luke?!" Rory gasped, interrupting her mother.  
  
"Shh! I'm getting there!" Lorelai scolded. "Okay, so we kissed and, well, it wasn't what I'd thought it'd be like." she confessed.  
  
Rory's eyes sparkled. "You've thought about what kissing Luke would be like?"  
  
Lorelai blushed slightly. "No-- No! Of course not! I, I just meant-- I don't know! Ugh, my point was, it was... nice."  
  
"Nice as in...?"  
  
"Nice as in maybe-it-wouldn't-be-so-bad-if-it-happened-again nice?" Lorelai suggested feebly.  
  
"Oh my God! Oh my God! You're having Dirty Luke Thoughts!!!" Rory yelled.  
  
"No! No, no, no, I'm not! I haven't even told you the dream part yet!!" Lorelai cried defensively.  
  
"Oh my GOD! You had a Dirty Luke DREAM??" Rory slapped her hands over her eyes. "Ew, ew, ew, nasty visual, ew, ew, ew, EW!!!"  
  
Lorelai grabbed her hands. "NO! Get a grip! It wasn't a Dirty Luke Dream!" she protested. "Remember those dreams I had last summer? With Luke and the babies, and the clocks, and the decaf coffee? It was just like that!"  
  
Rory switched gears quickly. "Ooh, really? What happened?" she asked excitedly.  
  
"Well, once again, seriously sexy nightgown, me in bed alone. Then, I wake up and I look at the bed next to me and I yell 'Luke!!' like when I pretend to be mad, and Luke comes into the bedroom, and he's like, 'What's wrong?' And I stand up and push him back into the bed, and then--"  
  
"Ew, ew, okay stop Mom! You said it wasn't dirty!"  
  
"It's not! Just listen; Anyways, I push him back onto the bed and say 'Remember what I said about sleeping late? You've got Saturdays off now and you're going to learn to enjoy them!' And then I get up and go into the kitchen and Luke's been making breakfast, so I get some coffee and then Luke comes back and says 'Wouldn't you rather I make you breakfast?' and I kiss him and say 'That's true.' But then he says my coffee and takes it away! He says 'That's bad for the babies, you know.' And he takes away my coffee and kisses me again!" Lorelai rambled.  
  
"Whoaa. Someone's got the hots for the local diner man!" Rory accused with a giggle.  
  
"No! I mean, seriously no. I do NOT think so. It's Luke--Luke! No way. Uh-uh." she argued.   
  
"Fine, Cleopatra, but I can't think of anything else the dream could possibly mean."  
  
"Cleopatra?--Oh, queen of the denial, ha ha ha. So funny."  
  
"Mom, seriously. Last summer your weirdo dream that was oddly like this one had a meaning, regardless of how much we had to stretch to make it make sense, but this one? I got nothin'."  
  
"Okay, okay, maybe it means that since I don't have a significant other in my life right now, and Luke are doing this pretending thing, I'm wishing I had someone. And then, maybe the him being here on a Saturday means--means... I like spending free time with him! Ya know, because he's my friend and all." she ended quickly.  
  
"What about the babies?" Rory persisted mischievously.  
  
"Uh. I'm upset because you're almost gone to college, so... so I wish I had more time with you! And babies, babies... Uh..." Lorelai tried weakly.  
  
"Uh huh. Sure Mom." Rory smirked. She yawned. "Look, I'm going back to sleep now, so please take your craziness and weirdisms somewhere else, please."  
  
Lorelai pouted, but stood up to leave. "Fine, but... but... Argh!" she muttered in frustration, throwing up her hands.  
  
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TBC... You probably should know that I really do like reviews. And feedback. And any form of communication with the fellow human species. Or non-human species. Whatever! Raspberries424@aol.com... 


	5. It Wasn't Supposed To Mean Anything!

Just Pretending... Right?  
by Sarah Dawson  
  
Chapter Five: It Wasn't Supposed To Mean Anything!  
  
Spoilers: Nope, pretty sure.  
Pairing: L/L  
Disclaimers: Once again, not mine. It's not gonna change, sorry to disappoint ya!  
  
A/N: Okay, just a note; I usually hate it when authors just put the same author's note in each chapter, but technically it doesn't matter because really I've already posted this chapter and I'm just editing. So ha! And this is useful information!   
  
Just to catch you up, this takes place in some make-believe season where Luke, Lorelai and Rory aren't dating anyone and well, since they're practically the only people in the story, that's all you need to know. Yeah, and the whole story's just undergone a huge change, so if you're a bit confused as to why everything's different... there ya go. Actually, for a clearer explanation, see next chapter. ~sarah~  
  
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"Luke?" Lorelai called as she walked into the diner that morning. Taking a quick look around, she snuck behind the counter grabbed the coffeepot and a mug. "Ha!" she exclaimed loudly at her victory, then shushed herself.   
  
"Lorelai, step away from the coffeepot!" Luke called from the kitchen. "Don't you remember what I told you?" He said accusingly.  
  
"Um, no?" She tried, hurriedly pouring herself a cup.  
  
Luke appeared at the counter and glared at her. "Customers do not go behind the counter." He ordered, crossing his arms.  
  
"But I'm not an ordinary customer!" Lorelai protested, trying to sneak away with her coffee.  
  
"No, you're the crazy woman who steals from the diner, so put the coffee down!" He frowned and grabbed the pot and mug away from her.  
  
Lorelai pouted. "Can I have a cup if I sit at the counter like a good little girl?" she asked sweetly.  
  
Luke rolled his eyes. "Fine. Sit down." he instructed, turning to put the coffee pot up.  
  
She stuck her tongue out him and plopped herself on a stool. "Meanie."  
  
"Junkie." He grumbled as he placed her coffee on the counter before turning back to delivering to the other tables.  
  
As she nursed her coffee, she watched Luke thoughtfully. "Rory's a very smart kid," she said aloud to herself. "Hardly ever wrong, too."  
  
"What was that?" Luke asked, coming behind the counter to refill her coffee.  
  
Lorelai glanced away from him quickly. "Nothing. As nothing as... absolutely nothing. It was nothing." she lied, wincing at her attempt to brush it off.  
  
He looked at her suspiciously. "Okay." he said as he walked off with a weird look in her direction.  
  
'So what if Rory's right? What if I do have the hots for Luke?' she thought a bit worriedly. 'Wait. Is that so bad? Or good--No! It's Luke! Ugh!' She slapped her forehead.  
  
"Hey Luke?" she called as he rushed by to kitchen.  
  
"Yeah?" he yelled from the back.  
  
She took a deep breath, not sure what she was going to say. "Do you need any help?" she sighed finally.  
  
Luke walked behind the counter and wiped his hands on a rag. "That'd be great." he answered sincerely. He thrust two orders into her hands and motioned to a table in the corner. "Just don't confuse the customers, okay?" he instructed, only half-joking.  
  
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After the diner emptied out, Lorelai groaned and half-collapsed on the counter. "That was a thousand times more exercise than I get in a week. I deserve at least a pot of free coffee!"  
  
Luke rolled his eyes and flipped the coffee pot on. "I'll give you a cup, but I'm not going to help you kill yourself."  
  
"Ugh. Same old, same old." She muttered, eyelids drooping.   
  
Luke set a mug on the counter and filled it to the top. Lorelai sprang awake. "Ooh, coffee!" she cried happily.  
  
Shaking his head, Luke went over to the last two customers in the diner and took their money before they left, then walked back to the counter.  
  
There was an awkward silence, neither one wanting to bring up the previous night.  
  
"Um, Luke, Mindy called my mother who called me and they wanted me--us--to come to this, uh, tennis match at the club, and they kind of suckered me into it, and made me promise to bring you too." Lorelai blurted out, and then tried not to look surprised at herself. No, they hadn't! What was she talking about??  
  
Luke looked wary. "Like last night?" he prompted.  
  
Lorelai frowned slightly. "Uh, yeah?" she answered, confused.  
  
He gave a sigh. "I guess." he replied gruffly. "If we have to."  
  
"Hmm, right. 'Cause we have to." She trailed off. Okay, well it's this afternoon at, um- um. Well, here I'll call you with the time, okay? Bye!" she rushed out of the diner, dying to talk to Rory.  
  
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"RORY! Rory, are you up, because I did a really REALLY stupid--well, maybe stupid--thing and I have to have your help!" She shouted as she ran into the house, panting heavily.  
  
"Rory, you better come out here! I actually ran from Luke's just so I could talk to you!" she called, throwing her purse down on the table.  
  
Rory walked sleepily out of her room, rubbing her eyes. "Mom. Voice. Loud. Stop. Please." she murmered, curling up at the kitchen table.  
  
"Oh my God, I did this really, really stupid thing and I need your help. You have to call Grandma and find a way to make her make me go to a tennis game this afternoon and bring Luke!" She explained, searching for the phone everywhere.  
  
"What?" Rory asked in confusion, still not fully awake. "In case you do not recall, first you woke me up at 6:00, and then you came in here yelling at 9:30, right when I was fully back asleep. I deserve an explanation before you make me talk to Grandma!"  
  
Lorelai sighed and sat down heavily in the chair next to her. "I don't know exactly what I did, but the diner was really busy, so I came in and I helped Luke for a few hours, and then there was really awkward pause, and I was thinking about what you said, and somehow I sort-of asked Luke out! But not really, because I confirmed that it would be just like last night, when we were just pretending." she mumbled, avoiding Rory's eyes.  
  
"Ah-ha! So you do have the hots for Luke!" Rory exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at her mother.  
  
"No! It's not that! I think he drugged my coffee! Besides, he's my friend, and I invited him to a tennis match this afternoon on the pretense that my mother made me do it, and so now we have to find out if there actually IS a tennis match this afternoon!" Lorelai defended herself.  
  
Rory laughed. "My mommy's in love with Luke!" She said in a sing-song voice.  
  
"No, I'm not! But I am his friend, and I enjoy spending time with him, therefore my invitation was merely so I could enjoy our friendly-spent time together!" Lorelai announced, flipping her hair over her shoulder.  
  
"So why do I have to call Grandma?" Rory asked suspiciously.  
  
"Hello, she hates me, and if I tell her flat-out that I need her help because I want to spend time with Luke, she'll go all... Emily on me!" Lorelai retorted.  
  
Rory sighed dramatically. "The things I do for you!" she said with a shake of her head.  
  
Lorelai dialed the number and handed her the phone. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she mouthed silently.   
  
Rory waved her off. "Oh, hi Grandma, it's Rory."  
  
"Rory? Is something wrong?"  
  
"Oh, no, Grandma, I was just calling to ask... how last night went. Mom's still asleep." Lorelai winced and Rory shot her a desparate look.  
  
"Oh, well, it went fine. Are you fond of the ice-man?" Emily asked suspiciously.  
  
"Um. Yeah, I am."  
  
Emily's voice softened. "That's good. They seemed happy."  
  
"Oh. Well, that's, that's good. Really good." Rory replied lamely. Lorelai looked anxious and motioned for her to wrap it up.   
  
"Yes, it is. Now was there something you wanted, dear?"  
  
"Oh! Yes! Well, I have this project for school. And, um... It's on tennis...?" She trailed off, at a loss for words. Lorelai nodded energetically.  
  
"Oh, really? Did you know there's a tennis team at the club?"  
  
Rory gave her mom a thumbs-up. "Oh, really? Are they playing anytime soon?"  
  
"Actually, yes. What a coincidence. There's a game this afternoon at three, if you'd like to come."  
  
"Oh, that'd be great! Uh... should Mom come?"  
  
"Well, you'll probably need a ride there, so yes."  
  
"Oh, okay then. Umm..." Rory couldn't think of a way to bring Luke up, so she paused.  
  
"Tell your mother to bring that boyfriend of hers. I didn't get to talk to him that much last night."  
  
Lorelai and Rory high-fived. "Oh, okay! So, three, at the club?"  
  
"Yes. Don't be late." Emily instructed.  
  
"Alright, bye Grandma."  
  
"Bye Rory."  
  
Rory hung up the phone and turned to her mother. "Mission complete. There's a game at three this afternoon. Now, I had to tell her I needed to learn about tennis, so I'll bring Lane and we'll leave you and Luke alone." She smirked.  
  
Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. That is totally not necessary. However..." she suggested hopefully.  
  
"Yes, Mom, I will bring Lane, distract Grandma, and leave you alone with the diner man. Happy?" Rory said, raising her eyebrows.  
  
Lorelai frowned. "Huh. I guess so."  
  
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TBC... Huh. That was like a mini-chapter. Oh, well. I wanted to separate it completely from the tennis match. Anyways, next on Just Pretending Right? includes all of the following:  
  
-Britney Spears and Mandy Moore duke it out at the Hartford tennis match.  
-Lorelai's dad Richard gets drunk and knocks Luke out.  
-Rory has a crazy desire to become just like Mindy and starts secretly stalking her.  
-Kirk follows Lorelai and Luke to the tennis match and professes his undying love for... Luke!  
  
Yeah, right. Anyways, stay tuned! sarah 


	6. It Takes Two To Tango

Just Pretending... Right?  
by Sarah Dawson  
  
Chapter Six: It Takes Two to Tango  
  
Spoilers: Nothin' really. It's, like, an imaginary kinda season. Neither Lorelai or Luke are dating anybody, and Rory's not dating anyone either (I kinda changed my mind, in case that confuses anyone...! ).  
Pairing: L/L  
Disclaimers: NOT. MINE. Well, besides, ya know, the story?...  
Distribution: Don't care, just let me know. (Raspberries424@aol.com)  
  
A/N: Alright, in case anyone's noticed, I've gone back and redone, like, all the chapters. Obviously, I couldn't change that much, but I've found formatting and spelling/grammar errors here and there that bug me, hence the change. If anyone has also noticed that I seem to contradict myself sometimes, well, it's my first [soon-to-be complete] GG fanfic. It was not well planned out, it was not in any way written out before the actual posting, and I have never written an actual rough draft for any of it. I reallyyy don't have an excuse, except to say I'm sorry : ) and do keep reading my stuff. Every author has one fic that they can write off as an experiment that didn't go as well as they planned. If it's cliche, well, oh well. I tried, I really did! So, uh, yeah. The End! Except not quite, actually...  
  
So, sorry it's been so long. For the reason of my absence, see above please. This chapter is one I'm not so much as proud of, but it's here, and I needed it until I can get to the next one. Does that make sense?? Anyhoo, read on as you anticipate the next chapter, which will be, like, the turning point of the story. Woohoo! ~sarah~  
  
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"C'mon Rory, pleeeeeeease don't leave me alone with him, please! I might do something incredibly stupid that we'll both regret for the rest of our miserable, pathetic, utterly and completely Luke-less lives!" Lorelai whined into Rory's ear when they reached the club. Luke was parking the truck, and upon seeing him, Lorelai had changed her mind about it just being him and her.  
  
"Or, maybe you'll do something you should've done years ago and we'll both live happy, carefree, Luke-filled lives." Rory commented smugly as she and Lane tried not to laugh.  
  
Since Luke arrived then, all Lorelai could do was glare at the two. "Where to?" Luke asked gruffly, purposely ignoring Rory and Lane's smothered giggling.  
  
"The tennis courts, I guess." Lorelai instructed, grabbing his hand and marching him towards the club. Rory and Lane waved cheerfully as the elder Gilmore stuck her tongue out at them over her shoulder.  
  
"Bye Mom, bye Luke, we're gonna go find... um... a place to go... Bye!" Rory announced finally, dragging her friend in the opposite direction, ignoring her mother's silent pleas.  
  
Lorelai sighed and led Luke down the path. He raised an eyebrow. "What, disappointed to be left alone with me?" he teased.  
  
Lorelai almost laughed at the irony. Something like that, she thought ruefully. "No silly, I'm just... dreading seeing my mother. Rory can only occupy her attention for so long." she replied with a toss of her head. Yeah, right.  
  
Luke rolled his eyes. "Why am I here again?" he asked, knowing the answer she had given previously was probably 100% not true.  
  
Huh. Good question. I could use an answer myself. Except, it could be because I had this eerie dream that could actually, very possibly be about something that I want very much, but I really didn't want to figure it out alone, so I decided maybe it would make sense to just bring you along for the ride. And, now, I am totally regretting that because seeing you is making my heart flutter and my palms sweaty, and all those cheesy, weird cliches and maybe, just maybe, this was a very, very bad idea.  
  
"Because you love me?" Lorelai batted her eyelashes.  
  
Luke seemed nervous for a split second. Or maybe she imagined it? "Ah, right. I remember now." he looked away and an awkward silence filled the air.  
  
Lorelai tilted her head, walking a bit behind Luke. Had he hesitated? Did Luke... nah. Impossible. Still, that would be really sweet... No. She smacked her head. No. No, no, no. Stupid, stupid girl. Luke is not in love with you, and you are certainly not in love with Luke! She pushed the thought away and caught up with him, linking her arm with his. "So, tennis..."  
  
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"So why are we doing this again?" Lane asked doubtfully, picking a twig out from her hair.  
  
"Hi, because my mom and Luke are totally crazy about each other and neither of them will admit it. Therefore, I need to find out what goes on now, because that way, I can bug Lorelai about it until I can possibly find a way to get her to make a move." Rory explained impatiently, craning her neck to get a better view. Eh, at least they were holding hands. Unfortunately, nothing else looked like it was happening. She was beginning to get a little bit concerned about the whole process... not happening.  
  
Lane looked at her curiously. "Why are you so fired up about Luke and Lorelai getting together?" she questioned.  
  
Rory hesitated. "I guess it's because... Ever since I was little, I kind of imagined that Luke was my dad, because he was the only father-like guy that was ever there for me. Well, besides Taylor, but that was just creepy." They both shuddered. "So I kind of... imagined my mom and my dad-like guy--Luke--together, and... it seemed like a really nice picture. Besides, I know both of them really well, and I know Luke is totally in love with my mom, and... I think it would just be really nice if they got together, you know? I really want them both to be happy. I mean, look at them now." She gestured towards the couple, who were talking and laughing, obviously very happy for the moment. They were holding hands and every so often, Lorelai would place her hand on his arm, obviously teasing about something.  
  
Lane nodded. "They are really cute together." she agreed. "And Luke is definitely waiting for Lorelai. Everyone knows that."   
  
Rory smiled. "Yeah..." she said, glancing at the couple. "It just sucks that I can't find a way to give them a little push. I've tried talking to Mom about it, but even in a lighter tone, it's more likely to push her away than in the direction we want." She giggled. "Oh, it was the cutest thing; Mom had this dream about Luke this morning, and it was totally obvious as to what it meant, and she was completely freaking out."  
  
"A dirty dream?!" Lane exclaimed in surprise.  
  
"Funny, that's just what I said...! But ew! No!" Rory cried, clamping her hands over her ears. Lane pulled them down quickly.  
  
"Tell me everything!"  
  
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"C'mon Luke, hurry up!" Lorelai hissed, dragging him by the hand.  
  
"Lorelai, you should really try to be nicer to your mother." Luke scowled, following her reluctantly.  
  
"Look, we'll just hide another the bleachers for a minute, and then my mother will go by, she won't see us, and we're free! It's pretty simple, Lukey." she shot back, pulling him to crouch beneath the spectators' stands.  
  
They sat in silence--besides Luke's impatient sighs--for a few minutes, and then Lorelai laid back on the ground with a small sigh of contentment. Luke frowned at her. "What are you doing?" he asked. "That's disgusting." Lorelai laughed and grabbed his shirt collar, pulling him down next to her. "It's more comfortable down here..."  
  
Luke fell back beside her, their faces dangerous close. "Hi." Lorelai whispered.  
  
"Hi." Luke replied dumbly. Before either of them knew what was happening, they were kissing, and had moved so they were pressed up against each other, laying on the ground. Neither one pulled away, and it didn't feel like Lorelai had thought it would. Not that she'd, you know, thought about kissing Luke, but still. The first time they'd kissed, sure, it was... really, really, really amazing, but she'd dismissed it as a fluke. But seriously, this? A lot longer than last time--by about a whole three three minutes--and she was on some conscious level, she was surprised it wasn't weird. And that she really didn't want it to end. Naturally, a split second later, Lorelai heard someone clear their throat and opened her eyes reluctantly, only to recognize her mother's legs--and shoes--standing by the bleachers.  
  
Panicking, she quickly pulled away and straightened up, crawling out from the bleachers. Luke followed suit, blushing furiously. "Hey, uh, Mom." Lorelai said weakly, staring at her mother's shoes from on the ground.  
  
"Lorelai! What are you doing crawling around underneath those filthy things? You are setting a horrible example, and giving people an inappropriate impression of not only you, but the entire family. And what exactly did you two think you were doing down--No! I do not want to know! Honestly, Lorelai!" Emily scolded threateningly. Luke reddened slightly and stood up, dusting his jeans off.  
  
"Please excuse us, Mrs. Gilmore. Lorelai lost her earring, and we were simply looking for it in case it had dropped under the bleachers, and then, well..." Luke lied, resisting the urge to glare at Lorelai.  
  
"Yeah, sorry Mom." Lorelai mumbled, crossing her arms.  
  
"Hmph. This is just like you Lorelai, tramping around in public places like a teenager. I expect more appropriate behavior or you will not be allowed to come with Rory to these events again. Forcing your daughter to invite you was rude enough. I could hear you on the phone." Emily replied snootily, turning to leave. "Goodbye, Luke." She narrowed her eyes briefly. "Lorelai, behave."  
  
After she left, Luke turned slowly to Lorelai, half annoyed and half amused. "Forced your daughter to invite you? Came because of Rory?" he asked, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.  
  
Lorelai blushed and stared at her shoes. "Um, Rory has to do a project on-on tennis and, uh, I kind of talked my mother into letting us go, and then she er, suggested I bring you. Yep. That's right." She replied quickly.  
  
Luke hid his smile. "I'm sure." he said, secretly wanting to believe she just wanted to spend more time with him. Especially after what they had been doing underneath the bleachers...  
  
Lorelai glared at him. "It's true..." she muttered, kicking the ground with her toe.  
  
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"So how was it?" Rory asked on the way home, attempting to mask her curiousity.  
  
Lorelai grinned secretively. "Oh, right, we made out underneath the bleachers. So, uh, yeah, it was pretty fun. Did you have fun? You and Lane were gone for a long time, you must have had, uh, fun. Oh!" she exclaimed, her smile fading. "And Grandma kind of let it slip that I was the one who came up with the idea. I don't where she got that from!"  
  
Rory's eyes widened. "Whoa, whoa, wait--you made out with Luke underneath the bleachers?? Ew, um, okay, that sounds... fun." she replied, trying to hide her excitement. Even if it did sound sort of... you know, gross... at least this meant they were probably starting to get it through their thick heads that they were perfect for each other. "How the hell did that happen?" she asked abruptly.  
  
Lorelai winced. "Oh, yeah, that."  
  
"Mom! Explain yourself, please."  
  
"Well, I saw my mother, so I made Luke hide underneath the bleachers with me until she passed, and then we were just fooling around--Ooh, dirty, except not-not like that. You know, we were just playing around, and somehow our lips... might've come into contact with each other, for uh, longer than would be... friend-like." Lorelai explained weakly.  
  
Rory couldn't hide her smile. "Ahem. Looks like someone's getting a clue!..." she trailed off, raising her eyebrows pointedly.  
  
Lorelai glared at her. "Okay, look. Maybe, just maybe, I have a tiny, tiny 'thing' for Luke. Not-not a big thing! Really, it doesn't even deserve to be a called a thing. It's more like a, uh, half-thing! No, a quarter-thing. Because, it's the type of... thing that will blow over in, like, a day, tops. See, I'm already over it? No more thing! I'm absolutely free of... things with... Luke..." She sighed heavily. "Yeah, uh, Rory? I think I have a thing for Luke."  
  
Rory grinned. "Seriously?! Are you actually admitting it? Like, could I quote you on that?"  
  
Lorelai frowned suspiciously. "Who would you quote me to? No, never mind. Look, I would really appreciate if you did not mention this to anyone, meaning not Miss Patty, and not Luke. It's not like I'm going to do anything about it! I'll get over it, I-I'll move on! No one has to know! I mean seriously, what could I actually do about it?" She asked skepticly.  
  
Rory rolled her eyes. "You're right, Mom. Luke has never had feelings for you. Of course not, what was everyone in the entire town thinking?" she replied nonchalantly.  
  
Lorelai bit her lip. "Uh, feelings?" she asked weakly.  
  
"Oh, Mom." Rory sighed.  
  
Lorelai pouted. "Luke does not have feelings for me, and I don't have feelings for him! End of story!"  
  
"And now we're slowly going backwards..." Rory said with a small smile.  
  
Lorelai sighed as well. "Okay, look. I'll... check it out. If I get the impression that Luke has, you know, more than friendly feelings for me, then I'll... think of something to do, alright?"   
  
"Promise?" Rory raised an eyebrow hopefully.  
  
"I... almost-promise." Lorelai replied.  
  
"Come again?"  
  
"Like, if it doesn't happen... it doesn't mean I broke a promise, okay?"  
  
"Right, Mom."  
  
"Just so we're clear."  
  
"Oh, yeah. We're clear."  
  
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TBC... Yes, short, but the next one's almost done, and it's loooong, okay? Yep! Enjoy! And pleaseeee review? 


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